Magic in the Aasha

The use of magic is almost as old as time. According to legend, after the creation, the Gods felt sorrow for the suffering of mortals. So, they taught them how to manipulate their world using magic so that they could fend for themselves and prosper.   To those who study the subject of spellcraft like to visualize everything in the world to be made of invisible threads of energy, matter, and spirit woven together. Magic is the ability to use lifeforce to manipulate those threads to achieve a desired result. The origin of the lifeforce necessary to perform a thread manipulation separates the different forms of magic.  

The Forms of Magic

There are two major forms of magic: Divine Channeling and Arcane Spellcraft.  

Divine Channeling

No one quite knows how the Gods came to be or what exactly they are; however the leading theory on the matter describes them as powerful nodes of threads tied together by an unlimited font of lifeforce. The Gods, as a node of threads are connected to almost everything in the world, and so can manipulate threads across the multiverse.   Those who deal with divine magics use their relationship to the Gods - and by extension nature-to channel these powerful beings' power. The caster through specific prayers or rituals evoke a God or nature to act in there behalf. This method of magic is not learned but gifted to mortals who have proven themselves worthy to bear it.   Divine channels include clerics, paladins, and druids. Sometimes rangers committed to an ideal channel the divine rather than use the arcane.  

Arcane Spellcrafting

Arcane spellcrafting uses the lifeforce of the caster to manipulate the threads of reality. This done through a magical spell, icon, or ritual that have been learned through study and practice. All considerable spellcasters must be adept at sensing the threads of reality in order to manipulate them. Generally this is a skill that is innate but some scholars believe that this skill could be taught one day. In order to prevent dangerous magics to be used by accident, the The Mages' Guild has taken it upon themselves to find magic adepts and train them at their academy.   Arcane spellcasters include wizards, sorcerers and bards.  

Blood Magic

A third form of magic emerged sometime after the establishment of the Arcane Academy of Adara. This third form of magic used lifeforce of the recently deceased for thread manipulation often this was done through ritual sacrifice. Its re-discovery and use was the impetus for the Blood War - one of the few wars directly involving the Mages of Adara - that caused rampant devastation across Aasha.   Although blood magic could be technically used to cast any type of spell. It it generally attributed to infernal conjurations and necromancy because of the amount of lifeforce needed to perform these types of spells.  

Schools of Magic

Scholars have divided all magic into one of eight categories or schools. Seven of which are represented at the Arcane Academy of Adara.  

• Abjuration - Abjuration spells involve the weaving of threads into tight protective barriers. These spells are meant to protect or ward a person or location.
• Conjuration- Conjuration magic focuses on the spaces between threads rather than the threads themselves. Conjuration magic can manipulate threads to create holes in space used to transport things from one place to another.
• Divination - Divination magics focus on revealing the pattern of current threads to the caster. Divination magic can be used to see how things are, were, and could be.
• Enchantment - One of two schools of magic that focuses on manipulating the mind of creatures and humanoids. Enchantment magic in particular focuses on reweaving the spirit threads to achieve a particular result. It is the only school of arcane magic that focuses on spirit threads in particular.
• Evocation - Evocation magic focuses on weaving latent energy threads into manifest sources of energy.
• Illusion - Illusion magic is the second school of magic the focuses on manipulating the mind, but unlike enchantment magic that manipulates the spirit threads, Illusion magic manipulates the energy threads instead. The result is that instead of changing the mind, it changes how the mind perceives its surroundings.
• Transmutation - Transmutation magic focuses on manipulating threads already in a weave either by slightly changing the weave or by changing the threads in the weave.
• Transcendence/Necromancy - Transcendence magic focuses on the reweaving of spirit threads. Originally, this school of magic was designed to mimic some of the divine magics used by divine channelers, but the results of that research ultimately failed. The results of the research were very successful at extracting spiritual threads but not manipulating them in the desired way.   This brought the original practicers and researchers of this magic into dangerous realms. Some used blood magic to power their experimental spells. Others used their knowledge to explore the nature of death, life, and undeath. The research was shut down. Useful non-lethal spells were gathered together and formed the basis of Enchantment magic. Everything else was banned and outlawed by the The Mages' Guild.  

  Religion, Philosophy and Magic

  Cosmology is important to many cultures of Aasha as such, religion plays a small role in the arcane studies. Traditionally, each of the Eight (see Deities of Aasha ) embodies one of the schools of magic. While the God or Goddess is not necessarily the source of power for their attributed school, the personality of that school of magic greatly mirrors that of the patron God. For example, Imix is the patron God of Evocation magic. Imix's courageous and impulsive personality matches the mindset needed for evocation magic. Where as Jern, who is the patron Goddess of Divination magic, is the exact opposite. For divination magic, one must be at peace, be mindful, and be quiet - all attributes associated with Jern.  

  The Laws of the Arcane

  Throughout arcane research scholars have come up with universal laws of magic that apply universally. These laws have generated great controversy about the nature of the Gods. More specifically there is great debate to whether the Gods obey these natural laws or if they are above them, and my break them if they wish. The two accepted universal laws of the arcane are:  
  1. Threads of reality can be neither created nor destroyed. Also known as the First Fundamental or the Law of Conservation of Reality
  2. Weaves will always return to their original state unless acted upon by an outside force. Also known as The Law of Weaveform Inertia or the Second Fundamental Law. This law states that weaveforms will always return to their original state unless they are constantly moved not to. This is the reason why magical spells have no permanence. Even magical blades embued with magic fade unless arcanely maintained.